Hey all! I’ve been launching products on Amazon since 2015. I’ve boiled it down to 3 main steps for a successful Amazon launch! This is an explanation of each step, and how our agency handles it for you.  Feel free to leave tips and questions in the comments section!

When you start selling on Amazon, the first step is optimizing your listing. Then, work on getting your first 10 reviews ASAP. After 2 reviews are live, turn on Amazon Ads and boost your ranking to get your product in front of your target customers!

In order to sell on Amazon, you need to sign up for an Amazon seller account – do this as soon as you can, even before your product is ready.

 

Summary

 

Step 1: Listing Optimization

Step 2: Get Quick Reviews

Step 3: Amazon PPC Ads (Sponsored Placement)

Now, let’s dive into the details!

 

Step 1. Listing Optimization – for Best Search Rank and Conversion Rate

 

The first step is to get a great listing written, that is maximized for Search Rank, and Conversion Rate (SEO & CVR). I will spend usually at least a full workday to craft the most enticing, SEO friendly, and high-converting listing possible

See our Services & Pricing page for details on our packages.

 

1. Keyword Research

 

The first step to writing a winning listing is doing proper keyword research. Amazon is all about keywords. We do deep-dive keyword research with Amazon SEO tools and Google Keyword planner. This is an important step and can take a while, depending on the niche, as there could be hundreds of relevant keywords to look over, and decide which ones are the most relevant & strategic to include in the title, bullet points, etc.

 

2. Product Title

 

The title is a Key part of what gets shoppers to click. We always craft a listing title that stands out, while clearly and simply explaining the product and its unique features. The title can be a maximum of 180 or 200 characters, depending on the Category. We recommend filling it up, without being to keyword-stuffy.

 

3. Bullet Points

 

Amazon Listings are all about the bullet points. They are what the shopper first reads, and it needs to capture their attention, describe the features & benefits in an easy to understand way – while enticing them to buy your product over the dozens of other choices.

We craft 5 bullet points that are benefit-driven, helping the shopper envision using the product and it solving their problems while convincing them to Order Now, without sounding salesy.

 

4. Product Description

 

We write and format a description section that is well-formatted, with plenty of white space, including bullet points and/or numbered lists to communicate all remaining benefits & features of the product. With a final call to action to “Add to Cart”.

 

5. Backend Keywords

 

We fill out the backend Keywords tab to ensure all the best relevant keywords are present and are being registered. Including smaller and longtail keywords that may not be on-page.

 

6. Images:

 

Images are obviously a huge part of the listing. They should be as high quality and professional as possible.

Main Image: The main image is a huge part of what gets shoppers to click. We always look at competitors and try to make our main image stand out by being different in some way.

Gallery Images: The gallery images should tell the story of the product while explaining and showing how it works in the simplest way possible. Include text infographics where necessary, but not too much text.

You get 8 gallery images, however only 6 show on mobile. If you are brand registered, it will show 5 gallery images plus 1-2 videos.

We will make suggestions on how you can improve your images where necessary

• If needed, we will use Photoshop to add graphic designs, infographics & text to explain and sell the product.
• We will discuss what you’re looking for and give you a quote.

 

7. Photography:

 

• If you need product photos, we can handle the photoshoot.
• We will discuss what you’re looking for and give you a custom quote. Packages range from $750-$2k.
• Examples:
  • A half-day shoot in-studio, white background, with 10 different
    angles, 20 ready-to-use images.
  • The above, plus 5 images ‘photoshopped’ into real life
  • A half-day shoot ‘in real life’, including 1 model using your product in action, with 10 different angles.

 

8. A+ Section (formerly EBC)

 

• If you are Brand Registered, I will craft the EBC / A+ section.
• Our Service Fee: Show us an example of what you’re looking for and we’ll give you a quote.
• Examples by us
  • Something like this

 

9. Product Video

 

• If you are Brand Registered, you can add a video to the gallery section – is huge!
• Bonus videos Pro Tip: While waiting for BR approval, you can still add a video to the ‘Videos’ section – above the reviews. Just click ‘Upload Video’! You can upload several videos here. Add your main video, plus quality unboxing/review videos, and customer reviews.
• Video creation: There are many types of videos, so show us what you’re looking for and we will give you a quote.

Step 2. Get Quick Reviews

 

Once the product is in stock, the first priority is to get your first 10+ reviews ASAP!  There are several strategies. But the quickest way I’ve found to get reviews is to run a giveaway promotion.

The Best Way to Do this: Giveaway Promotions

 

• We will promote your product’s giveaway promotion to large email lists via ‘free after rebate’.  We manage the whole process to get you 10 quick reviews, or as many as you like.
• How it works:
  • We promote a ‘Launch giveaway’ promo to large email lists
  • Customers opt-in for the deal (as many as we like)
  • They do a ‘search-find-buy’ – they search your target keyword on Amazon, find the listing, and buy it for full price. This results in a boost in ranking.
  • The customer receives full rebate via PayPal
  • Verified reviews come in within a few weeks
• I’ve found the review rate for this method to be much higher than normal – closer to 50% (5% is normal).
• Contact us for more details on our giveaway service.

For more details on how it works, see this article: How I get my First 10 Reviews on Amazon.

Step 3. Amazon PPC (Sponsored Placement)

 

Amazon Ads, also known as PPC or Sponsored Placement, is a big part of selling on Amazon. It is essentially paying Amazon a little more to boost your ranking for certain keywords, on a Pay-Per-Click (PPC) basis.

Strategy: We test various keyword bids and see which keywords are the most profitable. After significant sales data comes in (could take or weeks or months depending on sales velocity) trim out unprofitable keywords, add negative keywords, and double-down on the profitable ones. This will raise organic ranking for these keywords, hopefully to page 1 for your main keyword, which is the holy grail.

• A crucial part of Amazon Success
• What are Amazon Ads? This is essentially paying Amazon a bit extra, on a per-click basis, to appear on the top of Amazon search results – a crucial strategy for new products to get initial sales velocity, reviews & ranking.
  • Sponsored Products
  • Sponsored Brands (formerly Headline Search Ads)
  • Sponsored Video
  • Sponsored Display (ads on competitor listings)
• What’s a typical daily Ad spend? Depends on how competitive the keywords are, but a good place to start is $50-$100 a day to start testing.

 

Our PPC Management & Growth Service:

 

• Our Strategy: We test various keyword bids and see which keywords are the most profitable. After significant sales data comes in (could take or weeks or months depending on sales velocity) trim out unprofitable keywords, add negative keywords, and double-down on the profitable ones. This will raise organic ranking for these keywords, hopefully to page 1 for your main keyword, which is the holy grail.

 

What’s Included:

• Sponsored Products Campaigns
• Sponsored Display Campaigns (advertise on competitor listings)
• Sponsored Brands campaigns
• Amazon Video Ads (video not included) 
• Advanced ACoS Reduction Strategy 
• SEO & Keyword Targeting
• Free Listing Tweaks
• A/B Testing Management

Reporting & Consulting is also Included:

• Unlimited Consulting via email – we will make ongoing suggestions to grow your business, and answer your questions whenever you have them.
• Monthly strategy calls – we will pencil in 1 strategy call per month to mastermind about growing your Amazon store.
• Bi-weekly snapshot updates
• Monthly PDF reports

• Recommended starting ad budget: $50-100 per day

What to Expect: As in all digital marketing efforts, results don’t happen overnight. iI’ve found it takes 3-6 months to get enough data to scientifically know what’s making the best ROI. If we’re selling less than 5 units a day, closer to 6 months is realistic, to have a good picture of what works. If we’re selling more than 10 units a day, 3 months can be more realistic.

Month 1 – Create fresh test campaigns. If applicable, analyze your existing
listing(s) and campaign(s), and fill in advertising gaps with the appropriate
campaigns and adgroups.

• What to Expect: it’s best practice start out with low bids, so don’t
  expect sales to spike the first month. This is part of the testing
  procedure. It takes time to gather enough sales data to know what
  keywords and bids are working and converting best.

Month 2 – Monitor adjustments made to address any initial problems, scale
best performing areas while optimizing everything else.

• What to Expect: depending on the sales velocity, there may or may
  not be enough sales data yet to scientifically know for sure which
  keywords and bids are performing best. We keep tweaking things
  based on the data. But it’s normal in month 2 to not see results yet.

Month 3 – Analyze Research Data and optimize Keywords and bids are to
maximize ROI. Hopefully by the end of month 3, there’s enough sales data
to know with confidence what the most profitable keywords and bid prices
are. We will double down on what’s making money, and trim out the fat.

• What to Expect: we should start seeing some good ROI. However if
  the product is selling less than 5 units a day, it can take more time to
  gather enough data.

Month 4-6 and Beyond: Continue Testing, Optimizing & Ongoing
Management

1. Weekly analysis & adjustments
2. Adaptation to new market trends
3. Implementation of new Amazon Ads features
4. Start a Sponsored Brand Campaign (Headline Search Ads)
5. Monthly or bi-weekly analytics reports
6. Competitor monitoring – learn new relevant keywords
7. Advertising on Competitor Listings
8. Overall keeping tabs on things weekly, making sure things are running
   smoothly, and remain profitable

Those are the main 3 steps of a successful Amazon launch! But it doesn’t stop there. To continue growth, we do the following…

Check out Services & Pricing page for details on our management service..

Step 4. Facebook Ads to Boost Sales, Ranking & Reviews

 

To further boost your ranking and sales, the latest and greatest method is running Instagram & Facebook Ads for a Flash Sale for your product. The Ad directs people to your Facebook Messenger. Then the Chatbot gives them Flash Sale Coupon (or free-after-rebate deal) to order on Amazon via our super URL link (or via search-find-buy).

After the order, the Chatbot automatically follows up with the customer to see how things are going. If they indicate that things are going well, it kindly asks for an Amazon review.

This method also helps increases organic ranking, because the Amazon A9 algorithm likes outside traffic.

• Bonus: Builds your email list

Read our full Facebook Ads Strategy here.

Step 5. A-B Split Testing to Maximize Profitability

While PPC is running, we will be A/B split testing different combinations of Main Image, Title, and, and Price, in order to find the best combination that makes the most money.

We keep testing everything for months until we find that sweet spot of maximum profitability. Note, this can take months and months, depending on the sales volume. This is a key step, knowing that we have done the scientific due-diligence to ensure that we are making the MOST money possible on Amazon for the LONG-TERM.

Step 6: Ongoing Seller Central Management

 

Selling on Amazon is relatively passive, but it does require ongoing management:

Customer Service:

• Replying to customer emails daily
• Answering question posts on the listing
• Replying to negative reviews
• Kill them with kindness and offer to fix it, then reach out to them via messaging system if you can find their order from their reviewer name.
• And overall keeping an eye on the product daily, to make sure things are running smoothly
• Our service fee: we will discuss, based on the amount of work needed.

Account Management:

• Making sure all listings stay active and looking good
• Handling disputes and account issues, freezes, etc.
• Handling technical issues
• Keeping on top of Inventory Levels and notifying the owner when it’s time to Replenish Inventory
• Our service fee: we will discuss, based on the amount of work needed.

OK that’s it for now guys! If you do all of this, you will have the best chance of success on Amazon. There are plenty of other tips & tricks that we’ve learned over the years, but this is the gist of it! 🙂

To see our services and pricing, check out our Services & Pricing page.

Feel free to contact me to get started or for more info!

Cheers!

– Riley